Falling Action: Best and Worst of WEC 49, TUF 11 Finale

Filed under: UFC, WECWhat a weekend. Two Zuffa events in two days, and sandwiched in between two Strikeforce cards on Showtime. It’s almost enough to make even the most hardcore fan take a night off to watch some “Top Chef” and wait for the testosteron…

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What a weekend. Two Zuffa events in two days, and sandwiched in between two Strikeforce cards on Showtime. It’s almost enough to make even the most hardcore fan take a night off to watch some “Top Chef” and wait for the testosterone levels to drop back to normal. Almost.

Rather than try to separate Saturday night’s action from Sunday’s – personally, the weekend’s all one bloody blur for me – let’s combine the two for a giant look at the good, the bad, and the staph-infected after the TUF 11 Finale and WEC 49.

The Potato Index: TUF 11 Finale + WEC 49

(Keith "Necro Reaper" Jardine, after his barbed-wire and fluorescent-light-tube death-match against Matt "Da Def Syco" Hamill. / Photo courtesy of the TUF 11 Finale gallery on MMAFighting.com)
Because you pansies get all red-faced…

Keith Jardine TUF 11 Finale UFC Matt Hamill cuts blood
(Keith "Necro Reaper" Jardine, after his barbed-wire and fluorescent-light-tube death-match against Matt "Da Def Syco" Hamill. / Photo courtesy of the TUF 11 Finale gallery on MMAFighting.com)

Because you pansies get all red-faced when the Potato Index skips an event, we’ve brought back the beloved arbitrary numerical ranking system for a special two-fer installment. As for the recent complaints that the Potato Index’s scores have gotten less arbitrary, we have passed the feedback onto the Index and hope that the scores are now sufficiently chaotic while still maintaining their accuracy and integrity…

Court McGee +518
Going from pantsless meth addict to Ultimate Fighter winner? Yeah, we’d call that an upgrade. But Court McGee is more than just an inspirational story. With his endless heart and skill with a choke-hold, he’s a legitimately valuable acquisition for the UFC. If they bring him along slowly, he could become a factor in the middleweight division someday.

Kris McCray -33.333 [repeating]
Sometimes, tough ain’t enough. McCray may be a little too green to compete at the UFC level, but as a season runner-up, he deserves one more fight — ideally, against one of the TUF guys that scored victories on Saturday, like Chris Camozzi or Rich Attonito.

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Chris Leben KOs Aaron Simpson

Filed under: UFC, NewsIn a big upset that derailed a promising prospect and showed that a UFC veteran still has something left, Chris Leben knocked out Aaron Simpson Saturday at the Ultimate Fighter Finale.

The result comes as a big surprise, as Simps…

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Chris LebenIn a big upset that derailed a promising prospect and showed that a UFC veteran still has something left, Chris Leben knocked out Aaron Simpson Saturday at the Ultimate Fighter Finale.

The result comes as a big surprise, as Simpson (who entered the fight with a 7-0 record) had been steadily climbing the ranks of the middleweight division, while Leben (who entered with a 19-6 record) had won only once in the last two years.

But Leben showed heavy hands, Simpson showed suspect stand-up, and Leben earned his 10th career UFC victory.



‘TUF 11’ Finale Aftermath: All the Right People Win Bonuses; Hamill Overcomes Staph, Broken Hand, Eye-Poke to Beat Jardine

("The best part is, stick this baby in the freezer and it’ll keep your drinks cold on a hot summer day." PicProps: UFC.com)
Matt Hamill fought and defeated Keith Jardine on Saturday night with a staph infection he didn’t know he had as …


("The best part is, stick this baby in the freezer and it’ll keep your drinks cold on a hot summer day." PicProps: UFC.com)

Matt Hamill fought and defeated Keith Jardine on Saturday night with a staph infection he didn’t know he had as well as a broken hand suffered early in the fight round and blurred vision from getting poked in the eye during the second, according to statements made at the "TUF 11" Finale post-fight press conference. That makes it a bit more noteworthy that their three-round battle rightfully claimed “Fight of the Night” honors.

“I thought I was going to be blind and deaf. Enough handicaps,” Hamill joked at the press conference about getting a thumb in the eye that caused Jardine to lose a point in the second stanza. Any laughter caused by that comment could probably best be described as “uneasy.”

Other post-fight bonuses – each amounting to $25,000 – went to Chris Leben for his come-from-behind knockout of Aaron Simpson and Court McGee for choking out Kris McCray in the “TUF” championship.  As for the infection – which caused the nasty-looking  lesion on his back you may have noticed during the broadcast – Hamill said he planned to get started with some antibiotics ASAP. Yeah, you might want to get on that. After the jump, a picture of Hamill’s foulness.

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TUF 11 Finale Post-Fight Bonuses and Press Conference Notes

Filed under: UFCLAS VEGAS — Court McGee pocketed a little extra cash to go along with his “Ultimate Fighter” trophy when he submitted Kris McCray at the Pearl at the Palms on Saturday night. His rear naked choke finish was the only submission on the f…

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LAS VEGAS — Court McGee pocketed a little extra cash to go along with his “Ultimate Fighter” trophy when he submitted Kris McCray at the Pearl at the Palms on Saturday night. His rear naked choke finish was the only submission on the fight card, and it more or less automatically netted him the $25,000 bonus for Submission of the Night.

Knockout of the Night went to heavy-handed southpaw Chris Leben, who sent Aaron Simpson staggering across the cage in the second round after several damaging punches, and the three-round battle between Keith Jardine and Matt Hamill earned Fight of the Night.

Other notes to come out of Saturday night’s post-fight press conference:



TUF 11 Finale: By the Odds

Filed under: UFCIf, like me, you’re in Las Vegas for tonight’s TUF 11 Finale, you have no shortage of gambling options. From the video slots that no one, least of all those playing, seem to actually enjoy, to the crowded craps tables where someone will…

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If, like me, you’re in Las Vegas for tonight’s TUF 11 Finale, you have no shortage of gambling options. From the video slots that no one, least of all those playing, seem to actually enjoy, to the crowded craps tables where someone will always shout ‘Come on, seven!’ presumably just because they want to replicate the experience they’ve seen on TV, it’s a carnival of different ways to lose some money.

But if you really want a thrill, try looking to a fight card populated with fighters on the way up and fighters on the way down. The exciting part is, it’s hard to know at first glance which ones are which. Below, let’s take a look at some of the betting odds for tonight’s finale of season 11 of “The Ultimate Fighter.”